Follow Friday – The In-Depth Genealogist

Did you know the In-Depth Genealogist (IDG) just published their first book? Digging For Ancestors: An In-Depth Guide to Land Records by Michelle Roos Goodrum.

First, where can you purchase this book? Visit the In-Depth Genealogist’s Products page and you have the choice of paperback book or E-book. IDG made sure they catered to those of us that still love holding books and those that like their E-Readers.

Navigating land records has never been one of my favorite things. There are a few books available on the subject and I’ve done some online searching to find answers but they still frustrate me. This book however holds your hand and provides friendly “here’s how you do it and what to look for and what this means” conversation. Sometimes THAT is exactly what we need as researchers. There are so many facets to genealogy that some are easy to understand and others not so much. Why is this? Because we all have strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. I personally prefer military research over land records.

What can you find in this book? There is a section on Tips for Using Land Records, explanations of various land records, property descriptions, using Google Earth for research, and many resources to help you navigate land records.

Now, Harold Henderson wrote a very in-depth review of what is and is not contained in this book. You can read his blog post and comments here. He has a lot of constructive feedback and I suspect IDG may consider a 2nd edition of this book in the near future. Contact them through their website if you have a suggestion.

One thing all readers should keep in mind is that when each of us reads and reviews books, we come at them from different levels of experience and expectations about what the book should include. This book was meant to help beginners navigate the large sea of land records. It was not meant to be the end all be all resource for land records. Michelle really holds your hand through the book and guides you so you have the foundation laid to proceed with your research. To me, that is very important and again, just what some of us need at times in our research.

I encourage you to check out this new book on land records and let IDG and us know what you think. How does the friendly conversation and guidance in this book help YOU research?